CA Groundskeeper Accepts Settlement; Bayer Planning Appeal

The California groundskeeper who won a lawsuit against Bayer’s Monsanto by claiming that Roundup herbicide caused his cancer has agreed to accept $78 million dollars. He’s doing so against the advice of his lawyers because he wants to “ensure that the situation is resolved in his lifetime.” The jury’s initial reward in the case was $289 million, later reduced to $78 million by a judge. Dewayne Johnson was a California groundskeeper and pest-control manger, age 42, who developed a strange rash that would lead to a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Court records say his duties included mixing and spraying hundreds of gallons of Roundup, the company’s weed killer that contains glyphosate. Johnson’s doctors say he’s in the last stages of his life. A Bayer Crop Science spokesperson issued a statement, saying, “The Court’s decision to reduce the punitive damages by more than $200 million is a step in the right direction. However, we believe the verdict and damage awards aren’t warranted or supported by the evidence available.” Bayer is planning to appeal the verdict to the California Court of Appeals.

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